Malaysia Seeks Cricket Tour

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30536, 3 September 1964, Page 19

Malaysia Seeks Cricket Tour

“The New Zealand Cricket Council will always be willing and keen to help where it can,” the chairman of the council’s board of control (Mr J. L. Kerr) said last night. Mr Kerr was commenting on a Reuter message which said that the Malaysian Cricket Association was considering a tour of New Zealand as the first step in its plan to stimulate interest among its young promising players. The president of the Malaysian Cricket Association (Dr. Ong Swee Law) was reported as saying: “The time has come for us to make such a tour and to give our cricketers all the experience they need to improve their cricket standard.”

Dr. Ong said that since 1959, the Malaysian association had set its sights high, even to the extent of Malaysia achieving test status one day. He said: “Malaysia will surely not be able to play the giants of the game like Australia, England or the West Indies, but perhaps she will be able to match New Zealand, Ceylon, India, or Pakistan. “That is why M.C.A. is keen to visit New Zealand as soon as possible.” Mr Kerr said that the New Zealand board had not yet received official advice from the Malaysian body, but the sudden interest was probably as a result of the visit to Malaysia by the Kiwis at the end of their world tour.